Field Walking

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The best time to do field walking is in the autumn or winter months once the crop has been harvested.  Ideally the land should be recently ploughed and harrowed which will break up the soil more finely. The new crop can be sown but should not have emerged from the soil by more than an inch or so. The ground should not be muddy but a light shower on dry ground will show up artefacts more clearly.

Before any field walking can take place permission must be granted by the farmer or landowner and as in the case of excavations there should be a reason for the disturbance of the land and the extraction of artefacts.  And because of the removal of historic artefacts from the soil it is vital that the post field walking processes are carried out completely and meticulously.

These involve the cleaning and identification of finds and their location recorded. The accumulation of find types is useful in ascertaining the history of the field and whether they are the result of former habitation or manure spread.  Reports should be archived on a publicly accessible website.

All members are expected to follow the group’s Code of Conduct on private land and our Health and Safety Guidelines.